François-Marc Gagnon was an affiliate professor on the Department of Art History. Son of famous art critic Maurice Gagnon, he was born in Paris but eventually moved to Montreal with his family. He studied theology with the Dominicans in Ottawa from 1956 to 1962 but Gagnon would go back to France in 1968 to do his doctorate on Jean Dubuffet at Paris Sorbonne. Gagnon had been hired by the Département de l’histoire de l’art of Université de Montréal in 1966 and he would teach there until retiring and getting a professor emeritus honour in 2000. He would however quickly get back to work, founding the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art at Concordia University in 2001, after a substantial gift was made by the financial analyst and art collector. Gagnon is well known for his presence at Télé-Université and Canal Savoir but also for the many conferences, books and exhibition catalogues, scholarly articles he took part in. He passed away on March 28, 2019.

• Gagnon’s first publication was his doctorate thesis, Jean Dubuffet, aux sources de la figuration humaines, published by the Presses de l’université de Montréal in 1970.
• His 1975 book La Conversion par l’image, Un aspect de la mission des Jésuites auprès des Indiens du Canada au XVIIe siècle won the Prix Saint-Marie en Histoire, given by the Government of Ontario.
• Gagnon was the recipient of the Governor-General’s Award for his book on Paul-Émile Borduas in 1978.
• In 1987, Gagnon became a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
• Gagnon received an honorary degree from Concordia University, in June 1992.
• Gagnon was named to the Order of Canada in 1999.
• On March 6 2001, The new Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art welcomed Gagnon as his first Chair. Gagnon gave a lecture on Cornelius Krieghoff for the occasion, at the Faculty Club.
• Gagnon was honoured by the Association francophone pour le savoir (ACFAS) with the 2007 Prix André-Laurendeau, in recognition for his exceptional contributions made to research.
• Gagnon was awarded the 2010 Prix Gérard-Morisset as part of the Prix du Québec for his significant contribution to the preservation of the province's cultural heritage.
• The Codex Canadensis and the Writings of Louis Nicolas book has won its Concordia editor the 2013 Canada Prize in Humanities, given by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
• In 2015, Gagnon was inducted into the Order of Quebec.